The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-07-08
A SIDE ISSUE.


District. in his speech Thursday
night, gave it as his opinion that
the clause in the Democratic plat
form which declares local option
a non.political question, does not
refer to prohibition I'm the State,
and yet the Congressman did not
attempt to explain the difference
in the principle of precinct, conn-
ty and state prohibition. There Is
this difference only: Local pro.
hibition was an issue then, and
State prohibition is an issue now;
had State prohibition been before
the people then, that same Demo.
cratic Convention would no doubt
have declared that State or local
prohibition is not a test OF party
fealty. When our States rights
Democrats declare in favor OF
'localr self.government. do they
mean county government ex-
clusively or State government!
Mr.. Grain goes a little further
and asserts that "thOse who de-
part from its the Democratic
party's) principles meaning the
pros.) read themselves out, as the
next State Democratic platform
will probably prove" This ex-
preston, following so closely the
declaration of the Aqnila, Hill
county, anti-prohibition club, to
the effect that pro.DemOcrats must
be accommodated leaves no
doubt as to the desire OF that
cratic faction.
Now, the HERALD would like to
ask if Mr.. Grain and the anti
Democrats are anxious and deter
mined on this point. Ex.Gov.
Gibbs, Col. Mills, the Houston
Post, the Newses, Texarkana
Times, Houston Age, and hum.
Der of other recognized represen.
tative anti prohibition papers and
speakers have so frequently given
utterance to such sentiments as
this, that the HERALD feels it to
be the right of Prohibitionists to
insist upon an expression from the
leaders of that faction before the
final test of strength. If it is their
purpose, as so many declare, to
read out of the Democratic party
all pro- Democrats-provided it is
their privilege to do the reading
then it would be manly and fear
less in them to so declare; on the
other hand, if it is not their inten-
ton or desire to create this rup-
ture by such plank or platform
as Mr.. Grain refers to, or discrimi-
nate against prohibiiionists in the
nominating conventions where
they may have the power, then
they should repudiate such utter
ances as those above quoted.
The ants evidently hope by
this policy of threats of ex-com-
munication to avoid a discussion
of the main issue, and to intimi.
date aspiring young men and
weaken the knees of others al.
ready aligned with the advocates
of the amendment; and they may
thereby win some votes and ex-
tract from the natural strength Of
the prohibitionists, for there are
many men who will sacrifice their
convictions for the sake of politi-
cal preferment? But the HERALD's
hope for prohibition success lies
in the belief that the friends OF
this constitutional amendment are
among the people and not among
the politicians, and we believe too
that the time will come, yea soon,
when they, the people, the Demo
cratic people of Texas, will assert
their strength in precinct and
ward meetings and show the
would-be political masters that
they do not constitute the Demo
cratic party of Texas.
The Republican party favored
the submission Of this constitu'
tional amendment, the Democrat
ic State Convention at Galveston
declared prohibition a nOn-parti
san question; it was recommend
ed by Democratic Governor Ross
and admitted to the people by
over two.thirds of a largely Dem
ocratic Legislature, and is favored
by three-fourths OF the Democrat
ic voters of Texas. And yet
Mills, Grain, Gibbs and many Other
speakers and editors on that side
L ..a..s.x L., donla rinn fhaf nrOlibi